Shooting with the Olympus PEN E-PL7

By Richard Butler

The E-PL7 has all the pieces in place to be a great camera. Sadly, my initial impressions are that it isn't one. There's a lot to like: it's a small, well-priced camera with fast autofocus, a good sensor and a likeable JPEG engine. Add in a fairly easy-to-use Wi-Fi system, access to a strong but generally affordable lens range and (from the front, at least) pretty styling. And yet...

The E-PL7 sits in a difficult position in the market, where it needs to appeal equally to point-and-shoot users wanting improved image quality and more dedicated photographers expecting a more hands-on experience. In a perfect world, it should be the camera that makes photography so enjoyable that some of that first group are encouraged to become members of the second. It's a difficult balancing act that very few cameras get right - favoring one group too strongly over the other or failing to satisfy either type. The PL7 does a pretty good job of walking the line between these two extremes but, in my opinion, could be bolder in supporting the more committed photographer.

Point-and-shoot (and adjust)

For beginners, the Live Guide interface in the iAuto mode has been improved. Instead of being able to adjust one image parameter, it's now possible to combine changes to several parameters at once. This means you can change 'Brightness' (Exposure Compensation) and 'Color Image' (Color temperature) at the same time, if you wish. The camera makes it pretty clear when a change has been applied and makes it easy to reset everything to defaults. If anything it's possibly slightly too easy to reset everything - press the 'Menu' button and you'll have to start applying your settings changes all over again. Overall, though, it's pretty clever, even if it does indicate that you've changed a setting, simply because you visited one of the settings tabs.

The Live Guide interface provides several outcome-orientated icons on a touchscreen tab on the right-hand-side of the screen.

Each of the options is a proxy for a conventional camera setting and, if anything, this interface makes it easier to make tone curve adjustments (something that only the most committed Olympus scholars will be able to activate in the camera's other modes).

Unlike previous interactions, the E-PL7 allows you to apply multiple settings changes at the same time.

There's no way to disengage the camera's slightly over-enthusiastic 'iEnchance' color mode but you can dial back the saturation, if you feel it necessary.

Taking control (and the button pressing that goes with it)

As a more committed user who wants to take more control over settings and exposure, I found the PL7 to be something of a disappointment. It seems to have all the necessary elements: a well-positioned control dial, one of the best touch-screen settings panels in the industry and a good degree of button customization, to let you tailor the behavior to suit your shooting style. So why doesn't the PL7 add up to the sum of these parts?

Although you can't get such shallow depth-of-field with the kit zoom, the Micro Four Thirds system includes comparatively affordable options such as the ~$300/€250/£200 m.Zuiko 45mm F1.8, which allows for some photographic fun.

m.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8
ISO 1600
1/100th sec
F2

The answer was revealed when discussing the camera with a colleague. I'd been frustrated that the E-PL7 isn't, by default, as quick to operate as an entry-level DSLR, or many of its mirrorless rivals. 'It's fine,' said one of my colleagues: 'it works just like a compact,' alluding to the reliance on the four-way controller to change exposure compensation. And I realised that's why I'm disappointed with the E-PL7: Olympus has built what can be a really hands-on camera but then lost its nerve and left it behaving like a basic compact, requiring that you constantly reposition your hands away from a shooting position, to execute some intricate button presses. And yet...

Time for a rethink?

With a little bit of customization, the E-PL7 can be turned into a very nice camera to shoot with: one that puts key settings at your fingertips, to give a quick and enjoyable shooting experience. It's not simple - customizing the camera means engaging the hidden 'Custom' menu. On a mass-market camera it's understandable that Olympus would hide the potentially daunting Custom menu but this is a problem when there is so much of an improvement to be gained over the default behavior. I'm not advocating that Olympus un-hide the Custom menu, I'm suggesting it should change the default behaviour in PASM shooting modes. Because, at the moment, the camera operates like one designed without a control dial.

The thing that inspires this thought is the way you change exposure compensation (arguably one of most common feature changes most users will want to make):

The Olympus way:

My prefered alternative:
(Customizing one of the shoulder buttons to control exposure comp)

The four-way controller now enters a mode in which it operates exposure compensation (left and right) and the primary shooting parameter of the shooting mode you're in (up and down). The control dial also operates exposure compensation.

Pressing 'OK' or the shutter button exits this mode, allowing the use of the other button features.

Roll your thumb from the thumb rest onto the shoulder button.

Spin the dial.

Keep shooting (your hand is still in the shooting grip).

(Really cleverly, if you hold your chosen shoulder button down, it will disengage when you release it. However, if you just tap it, it will wait for another tap or a half-press of the shutter button for confirmation)

I've complained before about Olympus hiding the 'Live Super Control Panel' interface but it continues to sadden me, every time I pick up a new Olympus. I genuinely can't understand the logic in only providing button-driven interface (that looks like it was borrowed from a decade-old compact camera), when the camera has a well thought-out touch-sensitive screen with all the key settings available. I appreciate that the Super Control Panel could be a little intimidating for some users, but it should be easier to access, even if it's not made the default.

The Olympus way:
(Live Control)

My prefered alternative:
(Live Super Control Panel)

Press 'OK' in the camera's PASM modes and you're face with the Live Control interface.

It gives you access to 14 of the camera's main settings. Some amount of four-way controller pressing later, you can adjust them with the control dial. (The touchscreen isn't used).

The Super Control Panel shows you most of the camera's settings and allows you to simply tap the setting you want to change, then spin the control dial to change it.

I appreciate it can initially appear a bit more daunting than the default interface, but does that really mean it should take 26 button presses and several years of study to work out how to activate it?

Other, more niche, options such as shadow and highlight warnings (with customizable thresholds) are understandably not defaults. Nor are they accessible from the menus when you first turn the camera on. As I say: this is understandable and I'd rather these features were available, even if that means taking an advanced degree in Olympus Menu Studies, rather than them being left out altogether, as many other manufacturers do. But button customization and the Super Control Panel shouldn't be considered so niche. Look at recent Fujifilms: hold a customizable button down for long enough and the customization menu appears.

I strongly believe that Olympus should have a bit more faith in those users who engage PASM mode (or perhaps just M, A and S modes), and re-think which options they might want access to. Don't necessarily un-hide the Custom menu but have another look at what the default behaviour should be and which additional options should be easy to access. Because at the moment, the camera feels like its behavior has been inherited from a camera without a good control dial and without a touchscreen, just because no one thought to change it.

So what did I really think?

The E-PL7's sensor is pretty good, meaning it's possible to expose to protect the highlights in a high-contrast scene, then process the Raw file to create a well-balanced image.

The image on the left was created from the Raw file that accompanied the JPEG shown below.

m.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6
1/160th, ISO 200, F4.5

And why do I care so much about feeling stymied by the default setup? Because, after a bit of tinkering and armed with a frankly unhealthy knowledge of Olympus menus, I was able to turn the E-PL7 into a camera I really liked. The autofocus is fast and continued to work for shots taken at ISO 25,600 (albeit too slowly for moving subjects). The image quality is very good for a camera that's so easy to carry around. And it can give quick access to everything I want to change, while shooting.

Olympus has done a really good job of addressing the hardware concerns we had about previous models: shutter shake, battery life and poorly-chosen LCDs, meaning the E-PL7 has it within it to be one of my favourite cameras in its class. And yet...

Comments

"The E-PL7 has a more traditional rangefinder-style body, complete with a built-in grip, rather than the older models' screw-in ones". Why did Olympus eliminate the larger grip option? For me the larger optional grip available for the E-P3 and E-PL5 improves the ergonomics considerably.

Great DOA camera. Seems Olympus marketing is detached from the market. Great if they can go the Fuji way but I believe they'll fail.

They needed to observe what Sony is doing and offer E-PM2 with just two improvements: Usable LCD. Certainly has to be tiltable because of the market but I wouldn't mind as long as it's bright 3:2 LCD (won't ask for more but would love to see 4:3 huge LCD . Beside that, E-PM2 needed EV compensation during video. So, that's two things and nothing more. A 300$ camera.Or, make it 450$ with bundled PZ lens as obviously, people buy sony happily even with that horrible lens.

Could even reduce the price by supplying weaker and smaller flash. Nobody cares about that anyway. I do but we are talking marketing and people are obviously buying that crap from sony that can't lit up 10ft at maximum output.

It'll always be more of a niche camera than the EM10 or EM5. I bought it because I wanted a better viewfinder than the EM10 and wanted the ability to remove the viewfinder when I didn't want to shoot with one. Paired with the VF4 it's brilliant.

However, the camera is fundamentally a Pen version of the E-M10 (something other commentators have rightly pointed out above). Other review websites have rated the camera quite highly. Maybe these have taken the trouble to look past the ‘girly’ advertizing into the actual photographic merits of the camera and come up with a more accurate evaluation than this review.

I replaced my Canon M and lens for this Olympus EPL-7 and am so very happy I did. This camera, once set up to the way you shoot, is so much more capable. It is so much faster shooting than with the M, no delays at all. Plus, for shooting night scenes you have that wonderful live view in bulb mode. Having not used the Olympus menus it took me a little while to go through all of it but I did it. And, if I can do it anyone can! :) This camera is worth a purchase indeed.

I bought one as an alternative to a digicam (insufficient image quality) or one of my dSLRs (not portable enough when on a business trip where photography is secondary... but I do want to take photos of the places I go), body only, plus a 14-40/2.8 m.Zuiko Pro lens.

The camera comes with a detachable flash, so it's just as practical as my Nikon FE2 was back in the day... and honestly I very seldom use flash nowadays. Digital cameras with decent-sized sensors and high ISO capability, along with image stabilization, are revolutionizing available light photography.

I'm very pleased with my purchase, and have also picked up the Gen 3 40-150/4-5.3 lens, figuring that I'll only use it in the daytime when light won't be as much of an issue. And, I'm waiting to see the 40-150/2.8 and compare it to the Pany 35-100/2.8... the latter is assuredly a better travel lens for the E-PL7, and with a 1.4x TC still gives a 35mm equivalent of 100-300/4.

The zuiko 40-150/2.8 is not really that big and the extra speed :)If you need compact and light and can forsake the speed, there's always the bargain-priced polycarbonate-cased 40-150.It actually works well with a bit of care. Watch the bokeh, though.

I respectfully disagree. I too have an unhealthy knowledge of Olympus menus having survived ownership of the an OM-D EM-5 and P5. Customizing this camera is child's play for me. I've used it for birding trips, scenics and casual Grandpa photography. What concerns me is that the sensor behaves as well or better than the EM-1. It is so easy to use and carry around. Pictures using the unlikely combination of camera+ Pany/Leica 25 mm are scary good. As a second camera of a MFT system user this is the best PEN yet!

The menu points are well taken. I am fairly familiar with the Oly menu but find myself frustrated on occasion just trying to find particular thing and not knowing exactly where to dive in on the hugely expansive menu. Mostly it's not an issue because much of it is "set it and forget it."

I don't get it why shooting experience is mostly about not so good default settings? I mean, camera is very customizable and can be used as quickly and in the same way as DLSR if user takes some time to change default behavior in a menus.

The First Impressions article leaves the distinct impression that reviewers consider the E-PL7 a mediocre camera. I am heavily invested in MFT; I already own an E-M5 and a stable of Oly lenses. So I took the plunge anyway.

This little camera is a genuine jewel. I can carry it all day without noticing, which was my goal. The only real bother is the clip-on flash. I intend to buy a VF4, so having the hot shoe free for that means I'll be switching back and forth a bit ... but I'm trading the bulk of the not-always-needed EVF for considerable size savings.

Autofocus speed is very good, even in some challenging indoor environments. I first took the camera on a trip to New Orleans and found the fold-down screen somewhat useful, which surprised me since I expected not to use it at all. When I go back overseas with my E-M5, I will also take the E-PL7. I wouldn't be surprised to have the E-PL7 around my neck most of the time.

Having worked for a Japanese company for 25+ years I am never surprised at the baffling approach to "improvements" of an existing design. In the company I worked for the original engineering group was not consulted on the improved design and almost never are consumer complaints given serious consideration. Even suggestions from company technicians who interface with frustrated consumers were regularly dismissed.......very, very frustrating!

Not so simple ;) Page 6"Olympus has done a really good job of addressing the hardware concerns we had about previous models: shutter shake, battery life and poorly-chosen LCDs, meaning the E-PL7 has it within it to be one of my favourite cameras in its class. And yet..."

I'm sorry, but no flash = no buy. How Olympus could have designed a camera for the point and shoot crowd just moving up from cellphone cameras, and left off an embedded flash is beyond me. Inside or outside, sometimes you need a flash !!

Well, I had the opportunity to try this camera (and the e-p5) this weekend. The first thing I can say about the e-pl7 is that the buttons are really tiny-really tiny compared to the buttons on my e-pl1. So small that I have no idea how you are going to operate them by feel when using the VF-2 at eye level. Seems like they were made for a tiny Japanese lady who will be looing at the back of the camera. The p5 is better but still, I wish it had bugger buttons. Next, the 3:2 screen is a disaster. Why they think it is necessary to supplicate video people is beyond me. The image is actually smaller than my e-pl1, and the icons are much smaller-so much so I have a hard time seeing them.

Otherwise it is an OK camera. The e-p5 impresses with a very quiet shutter release-Leica like. The twin dials are nice but the single dial of the pl7 works fine if you are using legacy lenses with aperture rings. The pl7 is definitely a fiddly camera-it would take some getting used to.

I agree on the 3:2 aspect ratio screen (still better than 16:9 though), but I think the higher resolution makes up to it somewhat.Btw. You can set aspect ratio to 3:2 and the full screen will be used. What I really find bizarre strange is that the viewfinder is actually of 4:3 aspect ratio, screen and finder aren't compatible I might think.

Would you use legacy lenses in Aperture-mode and use the dial for compensation?

I was looking at it and concluded that the E-P5 is the real upgrade for me. It has a lot more to offer (for me). Also I often have a beard and look like the guy on the Olympus site with an E-p5 ;).

As for the mode that is interesting. I was experimenting last night using S mode for manual focus legacy lenses. The rear dial adjusts the shutter speed and the front dial adjusts exposure comp which in reality just moves the ISO around to give you the exposure you want. The aperture ring on the lens is well, the aperture ring on the lens. If you think about it, this is exactly the set up on the Fuji X cameras with a prime lens.

Image is not smaller than E-PL1. I have both cameras at home and compared images on the LCD. E-PL1 has 2.7" LCD while E-PL7 has 3″ LCD. 3:2 LCD aspect ratio makes E-PL7 images look same size as E-PL1 or just slightly bigger, not smaller for sure. While resolution is huge advantage for E-PL7.

Buttons are smaller, but not hard to use blindly. Icons are smaller also, but at the same time there are more of them.

E-PL7 can be configured to use PASM modes very quickly and without repositioning hands. What I did is to customize two buttons on the top back of camera to change exposure and ISO while holding them with thumb and moving control wheel. Only WB and Shooting style are assigned to 4-way button on the back which can't be used without repositioning hands.

I don't have both in front of me but here is what I know. The E-pl1 screen is 44mm tall. The E-p5 screen (same screen as aon E-pl7) is certainly not any taller than that and a 4/3 image does not fill the screen top to bottom so it seems to me that the pl7 4/3 image is indeed smaller.

You have both, measure both and tell us the results.

As for the buttons, I can't see how I could work the E-pl7 at eye level with gloves on. THe e-p5 is doable as some buttons (e.g. magnifying glass) stick out more than others and the 2x2 switch is easy to work by feel.

They are both of the exactly same height (42mm). Even if my meter is off I used same for measuring both images. Width of images is also same, only e-pl7 due to wider screen shows black strips on both side of 4:3 image.

It's hard to use camera with gloves but two buttons near the top can be used. At least it can be used much easier than e-pl1 which doesn't have command wheel but only buttons.

What's most important to me is that using e-pl7 is like using DSLR with one command wheel and even better because of Olympus customization ability. Two buttons near the top together with command wheel can be used blindly and quickly.

What I also find stupid is that you can't trigger a wireless flash without flash on the camera. If I trigger a wireless flash with my E-p3 and don't want to include the light of the included flash, I have to use my hand, or some other way to hide that light.

Doesn't bother me because when I'm doing off camera flash trigger the LCD is way bright enough to see. Usually on a tripod in those circumstances as well. Really, when flash is required the LCD gives a bright clear view.

I think this camera is good value for money, £349 for a body in the UK that gets you the truepic VII image processor, in body i.s wi- fi and i think it looks smart too. I'm getting one just cant decide what colour.

Why is this Olympus' problem? has panasonic incorporated CA correction for Olympus lenses?They are competitors within the same format. I don't think Olympus is keen on you buying a Panasonic 20mm, they'd rather have you buy an Olympus 25mm F1.8.I agree it would be nice if they fixed it, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

AFAIK this is no longer a problem in the newer Olympus m43 models. It's an issue on the E-M5 and may be an issue on some of the other Oly m43 cameras that use the Sony sensor, but it's not an issue on the E-M1 (Panasonic sensor), and I'm pretty sure they've figured out how to avoid the issue on their more recent camera models. I certainly haven't heard any complaints about it on later m43 models.

Does anybody know what the shutter sounds like on this thing? I was very impressed with how quiet the shutter is on the EM-5. Very Leica like. Not so impressed with the way the shutter sounded on the EM-10.

Essentially, much of the E-PL7 is carried over from the E-M10, which runs about $100 more -- as a result, you're essentially paying that for the viewfinder and more physical controls.

Compared to similarly priced models, it's competitive for the money, but not a slam-dunk; Olympus generally doesn't deliver terrific video quality and I find the larger APS-C sensors still eke out better photo quality than their consumer Micro Four Thirds peers. But the flip-down LCD sounds like it might be a useful feature to have if you take a lot of self-portraits.

All Micro Four thirds camera's share the same sensor (at least from the same present-time) and all system camera's are made for consumers.

The E-pl7 is a pen camera that is the main difference (smaller, lighter, less direct controls). Also, while you don't get the viewfinder included as on the E-m10, you CAN add the optionally VF-4 which is much bigger than the one on the E-m10 (and yes that is a huge difference in photographing experience) and it can tilt.

Oly has focus peaking too. Anyway, I don't like it on Sony, Oly, or Fuji. I think it is a gimic. As for crop factor, I think this is in u4/3 favor. A "nifty fifty" becomes a fantastic 100mm f/1.8 on u 4/3. On Nex it is a so so 75mm lens.

Lots of grips for m4/3 cameras. The VF-2/VF-4 are as good as anything NEX has. IQ is better but only about ISO 3200 and I don't shoot there. With IBIS you don't have to.

IBIS is a very good thing for legacy lenses, but there are other factors even more important as focus peaking (fortunately this is available on new Olympuses) and built-in EVF, which stabilizes the camera better than IBIS, and allows you to set focus in sunlight.As for crop factor, if you take into account that new APS-C cameras have larger sensor and greater pixel density, 4/3 clearly lags behind. APS-C gives you wider field of view and cropped allows you to see more details than 16MPix 4/3.

All the Oly's have either a built in EVF or an EVF option. A nice thing about the external add on EVF' is that the tip up for macro work.

As for crop factor it cuts two ways. If you are shooting landscapes and displaying on a 9x16 monitor the 3:2 aspect ratio is an advantage. If you are shooting portraits and printing, the 4:3 aspect ratio is an advantage.

I'm tried the PL5 body a while ago and thought: if only it had a dial for aperture.

PL7 seems great, but the price is simply to high. M10 is only $100. If PL7 had a better sensor, this might be somehow attractive.With the same sensor it is just a bit smaller, a bit cheaper, but a seriously inferior camera.

With DSLRs, we pay a lot for features (eg. D3300 vs D7100).With Olympus the base price for getting into the system is very high, but a very serious "prosumer" body (M5) is not even twice as expensive as a basic PL5/7. But if Olympus manages to earn money this way, then this is what they should do.

Manual cameras had the same "sensor", the same JPEG engine (in a basement), no IBIS, no screen. Many had no battery at all and the shutters were mostly pathetic (compared to expensive cameras then and all cameras today).

Still, some people preferred to spend few times more on a better body.

Keywords: handling, buttons/dials, built quality.

For me PL5 was totally unacceptable even though it had the same sensor and very good IS, JPEGs and battery. The dial in PL7 makes it a usable camera, but at this price I'd easily put in another $100 and get the M10.

That said, PL models usually get a lot cheaper over time (OM's don't), so maybe I'll find a PL7 under $500 in a year or so. Maybe....

You are not going to be able to fit twin EM-10 style dials on the top plate, right side of the hot shoe E-pl7. The body is too short. The build quality seems similar. So there are your differences. If you want the smaller body you are going to have to give up one of the top plate control dials.

Now, there is a lot of real estate unused on the other side of the hot shoe. That was used in the pl5 for buttons but not on the pl7.

Product positioning. 2 dials would be to much in this segment. It's just like with cheaper DSLRs - they have 1 dial even though there is place for the second one (and a few more for that matter...).

Earlier PM and PL were rather similar and OM was much more advanced.

They pushed PL slightly upward with specs and price, which is a good move, because people like me (possibly switching from a DSLR, expecting decent and swift operation) will at least consider buying the camera.

That said, for me this camera is to expensive. I don't mind the slightly bigger size of M10 - especially when this size really comes from features (EVF, dials/buttons, grip), not from poor design. I would get the M.

That said, maybe Oly justs wants PL to be to M10 what P is to higher M's: smaller, stylish and simpler alternative. Possibly a good idea. Again, I'd choose M5 over P5. :)

So far it has proven surprisingly robust (as the whole camera) plus I cannot understand the ergonomics of having a primarily LCD based camera with the dial elsewhere than the back. As I said, I really wish all cameras could make it that easy to change aperture and compensate in one dial.

Of course it's very nice when you try it in a shop. Or if you live in California, south Italy or Australia.

It isn't so nice when you're wearing gloves (4 months per year where I live). So it's also not that great for high mountains, skiing and so on.That said, while the dial might be hard to use with gloves, the touchscreen is unusable. And you can't really use this camera without the LCD interface.

Seriously, lets not make a joke from a serious matter.I'm sure there will be a solution and proper gloves (made by all manufacturers - from Marmot to Versace) will work with touchscreens. But it isn't here yet.There are different types of gloves for different occasions: cycling, skiing, mountaineering, working, elegant etc. They won't work with a touchscreen, but they might work with dials and buttons. Simple as that.

The E-PL7 is being launched at a cost of $599 body only and $699 with the retractable 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 zoom. Sadly Olympus has not announced a kit with the retractable power zoom 14-42mm lens, which pairs well with the PL7's compact form factor.....this is unclear to me, whether there is such a kit ($699) or there is not??

If I'd go for an MFT camera I'd go for Olympus and I'd likely prefer the PL7 over the M10. Both of them are compact and capable of providing good IQ because of a comparatively big sensor. The M10 moreover has a built-in VF which is certainly welcomed by many a photographer. And yet - if you really like picture composing with a VF, you want the PL7 with the additional VF! The VF-4 is said to be great, and attached to the PL7 it's most likely a comfortable way to shoot with a compact. (Not only the left-eyers don't like pressing the face onto the rear screen of the M10 all the time)

Since the PL7 is more than a restyled PL5, it seems to be a package that's worth its price.

Totally agree. I own the OM EM5 and EM1, and while I love those viewfinders I actually prefer the attached VF-2 on my EPL5 because I can get my eye so much closer. Call me crazy, but I've even attached the VF-2 to my EM5 - it just really makes for a personal up-close experience I've never appreciated with cameras before.

If you've never had the experience of using the VF-2 or VF-4 attached to a Pen or an XZ series compact, it really is a treat. The side-mounted Nex-6 and Panny GX7 viewfinders come close to this experience but still not as nice.

A separate point, but my EPL5 gets as much use as my OMs for day-to-day because of it's size and convenience. With the same sensor as my M5 I don't think I'm missing much IQ-wise. I'm sure you'll be happy with either the EPL7 or OM10, but might prefer one or the other depending on how you'll use it and the overall gear package.

That's purely personal preference, like everything really is. The E-PL7 has a lower profile is a little smaller which could matter. But for someone else a built in flash and EVF could be important, so to each his/her own.

I am horribly appalled by the marketing of this thing, and by the accompanying change in the marketing of the whole PEN line. I was fairly proud of my E-PL5, but with the current marketing, I should feel embarrassed to ever pull it out. What happened to photography? Anyone want to tell me that those who like to match their cameras with their purses have any clue of, say, sensor size? Or of a difference between lenses? And that they actually want to know about it?

With a cooler head than yesterday, I am still bothered, and even worried. If I were in the market for a compact system camera today, the current marketing would quite likely turn me away from Olympus Pen; while the crowd this is being marketed to cannot tell the difference from a 20MP 1/2.3″. That does not necessarily mean PEN cannot be sold to them, but it still doesn’t feel right. It makes Olympus look utterly desperate for any sales. Not good. I’d like to know wherefrom came the idea to market PENs this silly way.

Only wannabees would be embarrased at what they use.Camera's are tools and there's almost always a flavour for everybody. I think you'd better buy a Canon or Nikon and join the lemmings :-).

My personal opinion is that forum members lay much to much emphasis on the dislike of how an LCD folds (selfy mode) there's much more to this camera. And yes it helps if more people buy it if that's obtained by marketing at the youngsters, more power to Olympus.

I don't think that will ever come. The marketing campaign for E-PL7 suggests that Olympus is desperate to try and find a place in the market for PEN cameras. They haven't been selling well for a while, and lets not kid ourselves, PL7 won't win with iPhone as a selfie camera. I will be very surprised if PL7 succeeds in the market.

This is probably the last PEN camera we'll see. Unless Olympus can get their act together and reinvent the line (or replace it with something else).

The EPL5 actually sold quite well. It's the E-PM2 that didn't sell so well. So it is looking more like the EPL7 becomes the only PEN camera (unless there is an EP7 maybe) and the E-PM2 continues to be sold off at amazing prices (which make it a great buy really)!

PM2 is out of stock now and even getting harder to find on ebay as cheap as it was a month ago. I like the size and IQ of the PM2..and price. newegg had it with kit lens for $200 (the white version) Seems white did not sell well. Everyone was dumping them a month ago.

BTW, my first digicam was the 3MP (but had constant F2.8 lens) Oly C3000 (cheaper version of the C3030 but still paid around $600 for it is my recollection). I think that had to be back in 1999 (my son was a year old when I got it is my recollection). Only competitors were Nikon and Canon back then, and slightly less so, Kodak had a very good camera too (and fell behind not long after).I think Steves-digicams (I preferred his site back then), dpreview, and imaging-resource were all around back then...started visiting the sites around a year earlier when I think they just started. Steve gave prizes if you got the 100,000 page hit, and 1m was a big deal back then - and it took awhile to hit 1m.

"if only Oly had put a mode dial on the PM2 (and a 4:3 screen) we wouldn't need the PL7!"

Obviously you're sort of right, but in practice I find it reasonably swift to change between modes using the touch screen. If I did it many times per shooting session, I'd find the lack of a dial more of an impediment. About the screen proportions, yes, I'd prefer a screen of the same proportions as my images...that was a pretty weird feature...

I shoot a lot with manual rangefinder lenses. The rear screen is not detailed enough for accurate focus without zooming. With the VF-2 I can manually focus without having to use the zoom feature. It is like using an old 35mm SLR except that the screen gains up if it gets dim. Also, it is more steady for really low hand held shutter speeds.

So, I can't give up the VF-2

I am really thinking about the E-pm2. The only thing leaning me towards the pl7 is that it can give a stabilized view for manual focusing with legacy lenses. Now that is a neat trick. Is it neat enough to justify another $300.00?

IMHO, what a strange review. On one hand, the reviewer criticizes Olympus for producing a camera that is too point-and-shoot emphasized and then goes on to say that the camera can be customized to be very much acceptable to enthusiasts. I think he was a bit unfair by saying he was disappointed with his initial shooting experience without mentioning the customizing potential of the camera BEFOREmaking that statement.

Ok, if this is intended for beginners, why not have a built in flash, while the more serious EM10 has one? I know they provide an external flash, but doesn't that make the whole thing bulky? I don't get it.Also, if you have the flash installed, that means you can't install an EVF since the flash uses the hot shoe and the port?

I've been saying this for some time now: ever since the introduction of the OM-D line, Oly should have eliminated the E-PL series. The E-PM covers the entry level crowd and the E-P series covers those who want performance in a company PEN body. I'd rather Oly had released this as the E-P6 with a built-in flash.

I never thought I'd agree with Tedolph, but he's right. The EPL2 was nearly perfect in form factor and features. Give it a modern sensor, better screen, fast focus, and 5-axis IBIS, and you have the best PEN camera available.

This EPL7 is a step down, as far as I'm concerned.

(Then again, I just bought an E-M10, so I guess I don't care all that much.)

it's really hilarious how the pl5–pl7 are marketed as fashion accessoirs while the p5 is marketed to semi pros. at least on the website. three girls with handbags and a artsy guy. with four different items representing one camera: champagne coloured high heels (pl7), a green purse (pl6), red sneakers (pl5) and a heavy silver watch (pl5) ^^ won't that mislead guys or girls who are interested in a pl model as a high quality photographic tool?

Based on the specs, the E-PL7 is basically the guts of the E-M10 stuffed into a PEN body, which is great news for us PEN users.

Have any tests been done on the focusing speed? The only reason why I considered upgrading from my E-PL5 to an E-M10 was because of the improved focusing speed. Also, I occasionally to studio shoot that require the hotshoe for the remote flash trigger, which means I can't use my EVF.

Also, I wonder if the E-PL7's LCD flips up? The problem with a down swiveling LCD is that it's useless on a tripod.

I've scoured the net for any reports that would indicate that the new shutter mechanism would allow it to be set to a silent mode. Can't find anything firm.

Would love to be able to use this discretely during live theater productions. Does anyone know if this is possible with the EPL-7?

I mean like the Panny GX-7 where there is no sound at all when taking a shot in silent mode. The GX-7 is hindered with ISO and shutter speed restrictions in silent mode, but at least it offers it. Wondering if the EPL-7 provides a better alternative.